Chicago, IL—The theme of the 2017 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting was “Making a Difference in Cancer Care With You.” The meeting attracted 38,000 attendees from around the world over 5 days.
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Chicago, IL—Developed in the early 2000s, clinical pathways are being increasingly used by providers. According to ASCO’s The State of Cancer Care in America, 2016 report, there was a 46% increase in the provider use of clinical pathways between 2014 and 2015, and that figure now exceeds 50%, reported Robin Zon, MD, FACP, FASCO, Medical Oncologist, Michiana Hematology Oncology Advanced Centers for Cancer Care, South Bend, IN, and Chair of the ASCO Task Force on Clinical Pathways, at the 2017 ASCO annual meeting. Dr Zon described the potential role of high-quality clinical pathways in payment reform and utilization management and forecasted the future of clinical pathways, with possible returns on investment.
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Chicago, IL—As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) promotes the transition of medical payments from volume to value, advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs), which provide added incentives to clinicians to deliver high-quality and cost-efficient care, look to play an expanded role in the future.
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Chicago, IL—As the healthcare system transitions from volume-based to value-based reimbursement, the question concerning industry is, “How will emerging payment models influence revenue?” The answer may not please the manufacturers of cancer drugs.
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Chicago, IL—For the past 5 years, state affiliates have become galvanized by the issues facing oncologists, especially with the increased involvement and support of ASCO, said Tracey Weisberg, MD, President and Lead Physician, New England Cancer Specialists, Scarborough, ME, and Chair, ASCO State Affiliate Council, at the 2017 ASCO annual meeting practice management sessions. Dr Weisberg encouraged members to join their respective state societies and outlined the high-priority issues that have shaped recent discussions.
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Chicago, IL—As the battle over the Affordable Care Act rages on, Congress remains steadfast in its support of the Quality Payment Program. Even though Medicare reimbursement will not change until 2019, the new era of the Quality Payment Program begins this year. At the 2017 ASCO annual meeting practice management sessions, Stephen S. Grubbs, MD, FASCO, ASCO’s Vice President of Clinical Affairs, described the requirements of the Quality Payment Program and shared strategies for optimal reporting.
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Chicago, IL—Social media is not only for teenagers, and this platform has expanded more than its user base. In the past decade, social media has evolved to become a powerful tool of communication for professionals, and this is especially true in the healthcare world. At the 2017 ASCO annual meeting practice management sessions, Merry Jennifer Markham, MD, FACP, Associate Professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Florida, Gainesville, shared examples of how social media can be used for professional development and networking while also describing potential barriers to its use.
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Chicago, IL—Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have not been around for long, but they have been involved in nearly every aspect of oncology. Monitoring PROs has the potential to improve clinical benefit, more accurately capture toxicity, and provide better cost data. In addition, new technologies can facilitate the collection of PROs and other patient-generated data, said Heather S. Jim, PhD, Associate Member, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, at the 2017 ASCO annual meeting practice management sessions.
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Chicago, IL—As palliative care assumes a larger role in clinical practice, talking with patients about their goals of care, especially early in the disease course, is more important than ever. In fact, according to Anthony L. Back, MD, Co-Director, Cambia Palliative Care Center of Excellence, University of Washington, Seattle, having conversations about end-of-life and supportive care is one of the critical competencies that every oncologist and cancer care clinician needs to take into consideration.
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Chicago, IL—Larotrectinib (LOXO-101), an investigational agent that targets tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) fusions, has demonstrated excellent, consistent, and durable antitumor activity in a range of tumor types in adults and children, reported lead investigator David M. Hyman, MD, Chief, Early Drug Development Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, at the 2017 ASCO annual meeting. Larotrectinib was called “the first oral tumor-agnostic therapy,” because of its unprecedented high response rates in 17 tumor types that express TRK.
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Chicago, IL—The results from 2 studies should advance the use of abiraterone acetate (Zytiga) to the frontline treatment of patients with hormone-sensitive advanced prostate cancer, effectively replacing chemotherapy, said several experts at the ASCO 2017 annual meeting.
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Chicago, IL—As healthcare resources become increasingly constrained, aligning precision medicine and value may offer a way forward, but traversing this path could be a challenge for oncologists. According to Deborah Schrag, MD, MPH, Chief, Division of Population Sciences, Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, the vision of precision medicine is for accurate biomarkers to identify the appropriate candidates for targeted treatment, which is more effective and less toxic than traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy. Given the rapid pace of innovation, however, the reality is more complex.
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